Journal of the New York Botanical Garden

JOURNAL
OF
THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN
VOL. 48
No. 575
NOVEMBER
1 9 4 7
PACES
245- 268
JOURNAL OF THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN
CAROL H. WOODWARD, Editor
NOVEMBER EVENTS AT THE GARDEN
Members' Day
Nov. 5 at 3 p. m. in the Lecture Hall
The Present Status of the Dutch Elm Disease P. P. Pirone
Plant Pathologist
Free Saturday Programs
3 p. m. in the Lecture Hall
Nov. 8 Plants to Grow Inside of City Windows fean Hersey
Gardener'Writer
Nov. 15 Caribbean Stepping Stones R. A. Howard
Assistant Curator
Nov. 22 Trees in the Winter Landscape E. J. Alexander
Associate Curator
Nov. 29 Putting the Garden to Bed K. R. Fens\ a
Bartlett Tree Research Laboratories
Dec. 6 Plant Food from Coal and Magic of Coal
Two motion picture films with sound
Radio Programs
" Calling All Gardeners" every Saturday morning from 8: 30 to 8: 45, over WNYC,
830 on the dial.
Museum Exhibits
British Gardens Through the Ages
150 fine photographs on view through the courtesy of " My Garden" magazine of
London, showing historical, formal, royal, rock and water gardens, lawns and
borders, landscape and wild gardens, trees, and gardens of today. The exhibit
will continue through November.
Conservatory Displays
Seasonal flower displays will be resumed with an exhibit of chrysanthemums in the
Conservatory commencing Nov. 1.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
NOVEMBER 1947
HEART OF A THISTLE with pollen ready to be blown from each
individual floret Cover photograph by Samuel S. Gottscho
Do You COLLECT POLLEN? G. Erdtman 245
T H E SYCOMORE FIG OF ANCIENT LINEAGE Mary F. Barrett 254
FINE QUALITY PLANTS EXHIBITED AT CHRYSANTHEMUM SHOW 263
NOTES, NEWS, AND COMMENT 267
The Journal is published monthly by The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx Park, New York 58,
N. Y. Printed in U. S. A. Entered as Second Class Matter, January 28, 1936, at the Post Office
at New York, N. Y., under the Act of August 24, 1912. Annual subscription $ 1.50. Single copies
15 cents.
JOURNAL
of
THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN
VOL. 48 NOVEMBER 1947 No. 575
( Do You ( Jollect " Pollen?
The Reasons Why Others Gather and Study Jt
Given in a Survey of the Newly Named
Science of Palynology
By G. Erdtman
COLLECTING POLLEN— of what possible use can that be? It
sounds like a rather odd way of wasting time. And in any event,
how does one collect pollen and why?
Botanically, pollen is highly interesting and significant. Pollens of many
plants are widespread in the air, and are also found deep in the soil and
in the beds of the oceans, telling the story of plant life through millions of
years. Surveys of pollen in the atmosphere are made by many ingenious
methods, including trapping the tiny grains on greased plates or by means
of filters through which air is sucked by vacuum. Airplanes and power­ful
borers are employed in the search for pollen above and below the sur­face
of the earth. The study of pollen grains is a fascinating one, and
has made valuable contributions toward the solving of problems in archae­ology,
geology, medicine, and other sciences.
A new term PALYNOLOGY ( research into pollen grains and spores), has
been coined from the Greek to cover this new field of scientific activity. A
palynologist must be ready to answer almost any question relating to pol­lens
and spores, whether the question is put by a plant systematise a peat
geologist, a doctor, a meteorologist, or a member of the exclusive guild of
palaeomelitologists, looking for pollen in ancient honeys from Egyptian
tombs or in the dry remains of mead which may occur in old drinking
horns. Some of the different aspects of palynological studies are described
briefly below.
* * *
The teeming field of study known as pollen statistics for pollen analysis)
belongs logically to the sphere of palynology. A prospective pollen statis-
245
<* jr^
247
tician may aptly start his career collecting pollen grains from trees and
studying them for purposes of identification. This being done, he may
proceed to studies of the pollen grains contained in the surface layers ot
bogs— Nature's own archives of forest history— and the way in which they
reflect the composition of forests. This is necessary for the correct
interpretation of the fossil pollen grains, which continue to be identifiable
in the deeper layers ( representing successively older bog surfaces),
although the plants forming the bulk of the peat may be altered out of
all recognition.
Such in briefest outline is the succession of preparatory studies which
may make the microscopical records of the " forest archives" comparatively
easy to read. The pollen grains in these archives may also provide informa­tion
of interest in connections other than forest history— such as in ques­tions
relating to the development of climate.
A pollen statistician with true palynological aspirations does not restrict
himself to studies of forest tree pollens. Having once obtained a wider
palynological knowledge, he will be able in districts once totally covered
by ice to identify pollen grains of the herb and shrub pioneers and vaga­bonds
which spread in the wake of the retreating glacier. He will, like­wise,
be able to trace the history of heaths and prairies, and to follow the
history of agriculture as reflected in pollen grains of weeds and cultivated
grasses.
His investigations need not be confined to bogs. Pollen grains pre­served
in certain forest soils may indicate shifts from deciduous forests
to coniferous, or vice versa. Grains embedded in lake sediments or in the
ice of glaciers may provide information as to the history of the lakes or
( On the opposite page)
POLLEN GRAINS FROM A MUSKEG IN MINNESOTA
Schematic drawings of two visual fields under the microscope. The sped'
mens were collected near Twin La\ es, in Itasca State Par\.
Fig. 1: Pollen grains from the surface layer. The peat has been sub­jected
to various chemical treatments ( chlorination, acetolysis) which have
dissolved away the peat leaving only the pollen grains and a few fragments
of particularly resistant debris. In the field of vision are seen 20 pollen
grains of pine, two of birch, and one each of alder ( pentagonal), spruce
( similar to pine pollen but larger), and tamarack ( circular).
Fig. 2: Pollen grains from a layer about fourteen feet under the suf
face, formed probably several thousand years ago when oak forests and
other deciduous trees were far more abundant than now. As in the figure
above, 2? pollen grains are shown: 13 from oak, 5 from pine, 2 each from
birch and hazel, one from blue beech ( upper left side), and one each from
linden and alder ( lower right side).
NKK » ?
249
the rate at which the ice is formed and how it moves. ( Winds, by the
way, sometimes carry pollen for much longer distances than to neighboring
bogs, lakes, and glaciers. Although they are rather large, pine and spruce
grains from the American continent are known to have been blown as far
afield as Greenland. Pollen grains have even been trapped in mid- ocean
between Newfoundland and Ireland.)
Pollen grains have also been found in deep- sea cores— collected in 1946
by an expedition led by Professor Hans Pettersson of Gothenburg— from
the bed of the western Mediterranean between Naples and Sardinia. The
preliminary results achieved by this expedition hint at the interesting pos­sibility
of our being able to unravel the vegetational history of countries
covered by desert, savannah, or tropical forest, and destitute of bogs, by
investigation of the pollen in submarine layers at the bottom of adjoining
seas. And what will the ocean- buried pollen grains, provided they can be
made to yield up their secrets, tell us about the vegetation in interglacial
times and still more remote ages ?
We must wait and see. In the meantime, ambitious palynologists could
probably do no better than collect pollen grains of as many species as
possible and see that they are properly described and classified. This
involves a tremendous amount of work which should be carefully planned,
centralized, and co- ordinated. In this way an adequate foundation for
further research would be laid down.
One of the most fascinating problems facing the palynologist is: " When
did flowering plants make their first appearance?" Pollen grains, which
( On the opposite page)
WALL CONSTRUCTION IN SOME SPORES AND POLLEN GRAINS
The e\ texine is mar\ ed by full blac\: outside of it is the perine ( if
present); inside of it is the thin endexine. These are all schematically
represented.
Figs'. 3' 7: Trilete spores ( with a three- slit opening) in Sphagnum cus'
pidatum ( 3); Phylloglossum ( 4); Selaginella selagtnoides ( 5); Marsilea
( 6); and Azolla ( 7). The spores in Phylloglossum have no perine, while
in Azolla several spores ( microspores) are enclosed in a common perine.
Figs. 8- 20: Pollen grains in pine ( S), in which the two air- sacs are sepa­rated
from the interior of the grain by endexine; Ephedra ( 9); J^ eurada.
a rare African member of the Rose family ( 10); the plumeless thistle,
Carduus acanthoides ( 12); burdock, Arctium minus ( 13); the globe
thistle, Echinops sphaerocephalus ( 14); Centaurea scabiosa ( 15); the com­mon
field daisy, Chrysanthemum leucanthemum ( 16); the corn- marigold,
C. segetum ( 17); chicory, Cichorium intybus ( 18); Serratula tinctoria.
also of the Composite family ( 19); and Clar\ ia ( Eucharidium) concinna,
known as " red ribbons" ( 20).
Figs. 13- 20 are fragmental; the fragments shown in figs. 13- 17 and 20
correspond to the upper part of fig. 12.
250
could not be distinguished from those of modern walnut trees, have been
found in Jurassic beds in the south of England. Assuming that these
pollen grains really came from plants belonging to the walnut family, and
particularly if the botanists are right who believe that the walnut family
is not a very primitive one, then the history of the flowering plants proper,
the angiosperms, probably stretches much further back than is often
supposed.
Palynology touches medicine in hayfever and similar research. Here,
several methods of calculating the absolute amount of pollen grains sus­pended
in the air have been developed. A method of trapping grains by
sucking air through filters was developed in Sweden, and later fully tested
in Norway by Dr. O. Andrup. From his book " Hay Fever in Norway"*
may be seen, for instance, that people sensitive to grass pollens had a rela­tively
good day in Oslo on July 4, 1941, the number of grass pollen grains
per 100 cubic meters of air then being only about 400. Two days later,
however, their condition was much worse as the air was thick with grass
pollen— about 41,000 per 100 cubic meters of air. Dr. Andrup's book also
contains interesting diagrams showing the relation between atmospheric
pollen- content, rainfall, temperature, the symptoms of untreated hayfever
patients, and the course of hayfever in patients treated prophylactically.
In studies of honey and drugs, palynology touches pharmacology. Pollen
investigations may, at times, reveal dishonest practices: for example, a
supposed New England honey containing an abundance of pollen grains of
Bombacaceae and other exotic plants may readily be shown to be of Mexi­can
origin.
The first and foremost importance of palynology from a strictly botani­cal
point of view has not yet been dealt with here— namely, the use of pol­len
grain characteristics in answering questions such as: " Which plants are
most closely related to the palm family, which to the grasses, which to the
composites ? Should the composites really form only one family, or would
it be better to split them up into several smaller units?"
In approaching so complex a problem we shall restrict ourselves to
considering a few features in the higher plants— namely, mosses, ferns,
and seed plants. The shape and inner construction of these plants may
vary within wide limits according to climatic and other conditions. A
parasite often looks quite different from a nonparasitic relative. Many
desert plants are superficially similar although they may belong to different
families. The spores of mosses and ferns and the pollen grains of the
seed plants are, on the other hand, invariably formed in the same way
within special mother cells, irrespective of climatic and other conditions.
Each of these mothers has quadruplets— that is the spores are formed in
* Norske Vid.- Ak. Skr., Mat.- nat. Kl, No. 5. Oslo, 1945.
251
fours ( the term spores implies here, and subsequently, according to the
context, both pollen grains and spores). Since they are engendered by
small cells, the spores must be very small themselves. Their diameter is
usually between 25 and 50 microns, the maximum and minimum figures
being about 250 and 5 microns, respectively. Considering the uniform
mode of spore formation, it would be natural to expect spores to be con­structed
along similar lines all the way from the moss spores right up to
the pollen grains of the most advanced plants.
Figures 3- 20 show that this really is the situation. In these drawings,
the spores are not shown in their entirety, but only their walls, for these,
in the eye of a palynologist, are the most interesting part of their structure.
The spore wall proper usually exhibits
several layers. The outermost layer, or
PERINE, is— if present at all— arranged
more or less loosely as a wavy, warty,
spiny, or smooth layer outside the part of
the wall known as the EXINE. In horse­tail
spores ( Equisetum) a part of the
perine is split up into two spiral bands
( amplectors or embracers), which in
damp weather are twisted tightly around
the exine. In thistle pollen ( fig. 12) the
perine presents a more or less thorny
appearance, while in chicory ( fig. 18),
hawk's- beard, and common sow- thistle it
is thrown into ridges with small spines
on their crests.
The exine forms the main part of the
spore wall proper. It is often divided into
two layers. The outer of these, the
EKTEXINE, is relatively thick and usually
provided with sculpturing of some kind.
The inner layer, the ENDEXINE, is thin,
smooth, and highly refractive. The pol­len
tubes are formed by the INTINE, a
layer intercalated between the spore wall
proper and the protoplasm in the interior
of the spore, lntine and protoplasm are
chiefly studied by physiologists and cyto-logists.
A GIANT AND SOME DWARFS
The dwarfs among these pollen grains
received from the New York Botanical
Garden are represented by the navelwort,
Omphalodes verna ( to the left; size about
9.5 x 6 microns) and the forget- me- not,
Myosotis silvatica ( to the right; 5.5 x 3.5
microns or slightly less). The giant,
Hibiscus manihot, is represented by a single
spine about 30 microns long. The
diameter of the entire pollen grain, spines
excluded, measures about 160 microns, or
six- thousandths of an inch.
We are often not quite able to analyze confidently all the many details
in spore wall construction, and even questions concerning its gross features
— as outlined above— are still under debate. In classifying and describing
the spores reference is, therefore, often made to evidence furnished by
more easily distinguishable characteristics, such as the apertures in the
spore walls and the size and shape of the spores themselves. These charac-
252
teristics are condensed into a spore formula, which may be regarded as a
fingerprint, providing a means for provisional classification.
In some families there are many types of " fingerprints," in others— so
far as is known ( and it should always be remembered that palynology is as
yet in its infancy)— few or only one. With a sufficient number of " finger­prints"
at his disposal, a palynologist may proceed in a way similar to that
followed by the dactyloscopist, the fingerprint expert. If he is asked about
the pollen grain characteristics and their bearing in deciding, for instance,
whether Gonystylus, a Malayan tree genus, should better be referred to the
daphne family, Thymelaeaceae, or to a family of its own near the mal­lows,
( systematists have not been able to agree on this point), he may
point to the fact that the pollen grains in Gonystylus are of the same type
as those in Thymelaeaceae, and that this pollen type has never been en­countered
in the mallow family and its near relatives. In such cases it is,
figuratively speaking, in the power of a single pollen grain to weigh down
heavily the balance of plant systematics.
Pollen grain arguments have also been instrumental in making such
transfers as that of Diclidanlhcra, a South American genus of trees and
shrubs hitherto normally referred to sympetalous families, to the milkwort
family ( Polygalaceae), in which the petals may be either separate or
partly united. Pollen grain characteristics are used profusely in the de­scription
of members of the acanthus family, and they should be extensively
studied in monographical surveys of other large families, such as the
daisies and their relatives ( Compositae), the spurges ( Euphorbiaceae),
POLLEN GRAIN CHARACTERISTICS AND PLANT SYSTEMATICS
Should Thurnia ( 22) be placed in the neighborhood of the Bromeliaceae
( 23) or in ( or near) the funcaceae ( 24)? Is it correct to refer CarpO'
diptera ( 27) to the Brownlowia group ( 26) within Tiliaceae, and to
exclude Tilia ( 25) from the same group? Are Ceiba aesculifolia ( 28) and
C. pallida ( 29) identical or not? These are some of the taxonomic questions
which the palynologist can help to answer.
253
About the Author
T~\ R. G. ERDTMAN, of Stockholm, is the author of " An Introduction
*-^ to Pollen Analysis," published as Vol. XII in " A New Series of
Plant Science Books" edited by Frans Verdoorn. Dr. Erdtman is largely
responsible for introducing British and American scientists to pollen
studies as a new means of geological investigation. Between 1919 and 1929
he pursued extensive pollen analytical investigations in Europe, particularly
in the countries bordering the North Sea, and in 1930- 1931 in America.
Since then, recognizing the importance of pollen and spore morphology
in plant systematics, he has been dealing chiefly with the theoretical foun­dations
of pollen analysis.
lilies ( Liliaceae), and palms ( Palmae) ; also the madder family ( Rubi-aceae),
containing coffee, quinine, and other familiar trees; the Ster-culiaceae,
which includes chocolate and cola, and many others. Similarly,
the spores of the fern family Polypodiaceae should be made a factor in
taxonomic research on this group of plants. In other families, of which
the mustards and cabbages ( Cruciferae), carrots and parsley ( Umbelli-ferae),
and the grasses ( Gramineae) may be mentioned as examples, they
are probably of minor importance.
Pollen grain features and their value in systematic botany thus argue
strongly in favor of a suggestion made fourteen years ago by Dr. R. P.
Wodehouse, whose work and wide knowledge have been of great value to
palynologists. He suggested the introduction of pollen diagnoses in
descriptions of new plant species. This, according to Wodehouse, war­rants
the building up of reference collections of permanently mounted
pollen slides as additions to our herbaria. International co- operation, ef­fectively
organized, is essential if this is to be realized.
With palynological laboratories duly established, the title of this paper:
" Do you collect pollen ?" would perhaps be a common question. And it is
certain that many of the problems centered in these tiny pollen grains are
important not only scientifically but also, and particularly in the long run,
from an economic point of view. Palynologists will be able to make in­teresting
disclosures, whether they gather their material from the quak­ing
bogs of Ireland or the frozen soils of Alaska, from the laminated clays
of ancient Lake Agassiz or the sediments of the Caribbean Sea, from Swiss
air, Californian honey. Baltic amber, or the tropical ice lingering in the
crater of Mount Kilimandjaro; or simply from the interior of the stamens
of the many plants, the systematic position of which is still obscure.
254
The Sycomore Fig Of cAncient J^ ineage
By Mary F. Barrett
IN the Bible, the most familiar of the collections of ancient literature, the
" fig- tree" is that best known species of Ficus, F. carica. But the Old
Testament mentions also another tree of that genus, which grew in the low­lands
and furnished both wood and figs. To this, the great botanist Lin­naeus
in 1753 gave as a specific name its ancient title, sycomorus.
It was one of these short- trunked trees which Zacchaeus was said to
have climbed in order to see Jesus as he passed through Jericho ( St. Luke
19: 4). Although often misspelled sycamorus and sycamore, it is, of
course, not related to the buttonwood and the plane trees ( Platanus), which
often go by that name, or to the sycamore maple ( Acer pseudo- platanus).
These " sycamores" doubtless received that title because of their re­semblance
to F. sycomorus in such characters as rounded crown, light-colored
and scaly trunk, and broad, palmately veined leaves. 1 However,
the woody fruit- balls of Platanus and the keys of the sycamore maple are
very different from the figs of Ficus and prove that no real relationship
exists.
The figs grow in clusters on leafless twigs from the trunk and lower
branches; rarely from the axils of the leaves. The flowers, within the
receptacles ( figs), are pollinated by insects which enter through the ostiole,
the small opening at the apex of the fig. These insects then are unable to
make their escape until the apex is cut off with a knife. Later the outside
of the fig is scored lengthwise by a metal spike attached to a sort of thimble
on the finger of a person who, like the prophet Amos, will " tend sycomores"
( Amos 7: 14, Moffatt edition). Only then does the receptacle attain its
full size of an inch or more in its greatest diameter. The figs are globose
or obovoid and show some red or green on their hairy outer surface. The
base of the receptacle is narrowed into a stalk or is sessile above two or
three downy basal bracts. Below the bracts the pubescent peduncle is
about half the length of the rest of the fig.
Sycomore figs are produced throughout the year in their native or
naturalized homes, but are most abundant at two or three times in the
twelve months.
Trees of F. sycomorus may reach a height of 60 feet, and may produce
a crown 45 feet in diameter. Such trees would shade the entire width of a
street even if planted on only one side. An example of similar, although
smaller, trees is to be seen in the avenue of sycomores at Chapman Field,
the Plant Introduction Station of the United States Department of Agri­culture,
located south of Miami, Florida.
1 See the note by H. W. Rickett on page 262.
255
Antiquity of Fig- trees
FicuS carica and F. sycomorus are the most ancient species of their
genus in the sense that they became well known before any of the others.
The common fig, F. carica, a rather small tree, may have originated in Asia
Minor, but from the earliest days was widely planted for its fruits. F.
sycomorus probably was native to Yemen and to Eritrea, on opposite
sides of the Red Sea, but early spread to Egypt and other parts of northern
Africa, to Palestine and near- by regions, and to some of the Mediterranean
islands. At present it is found almost throughout Africa, and is cultivated
in other tropical and subtropical climates. Its figs, although less palatable
than those of F. carica, were used by the ancients for food and medicine, its
wood was prized by the Egyptians for mummy cases and by the Jews for
building, and its shady crowns were a luxury in a city of sun- baked streets.
The antiquity of the sycomore is shown by Egyptian paintings dating
back to the Fifth Dynasty, some of them showing the gathering of the
fruit; by the 5000- year- old Sheik- al- Balad statute in Cairo, carved from
sycomore wood; in the leafy branches which were placed in sarcophagi,
In ancient Egypt the sycomore fig was often held sacred by the
people. The early picture shown here ( reproduced in " A History
of Garden Art" by Marie Luise Gothein) shows a peasant doing honor
to a sycomore tree by sacrificing to it the fruits of the earth.
256
The sycomore fig is an important tree in Egypt today, as it was in ancient times. The
picture above ( ta\ en from Karsten & Schenc\. " Vegetationsbilder") shows a group of
trees in the village square in the capital city of Nubia.
and in legends connected with the tree. This was the " Tree of Life" of
the ancient Egyptians, and in certain cities was sacred and said to be
protected by Isis and Hathor. The species was known also as " Adam's
Fig"— a name more valuable for its suggestion of antiquity than for its
historical accuracy, especially since the same title has been applied to the
banana. Later, a tree in the Coptic Garden at the ancient Fleliopolis was
designated as the one under which the Holy Family rested during their
flight into Egypt.
Early Names for the Sycomore Fig
In the course of centuries both the common fig, which is highly variable,
and the sycomore fig, a more nearly static species, acquired many names,
in the belief that more than one species of each existed. For F. sycomorus,
however, only two distinct forms were generally recognized: one for the
tree known in Egypt and the second for the form that was found in Crete
and Cyprus. The first authoritative description for these two ancient forms
is credited to Theophrastus, who lived in the fourth century B. C. In his
history of plants as edited in 1644 by Bodaeus a Stapel and others, the
parallel Latin translation of his original Greek text bears the heading De
257
mora aegyptia, ficu Cypria . . . , morns, the mulberry, and ficus, the fig,
being the Latin equivalents of the Greek words used by Theophrastus for
these two trees. These are usually transliterated as sykaminos - ( for mul­berry)
and sykos2 ( for fig). Theophrastus therefore believed that the
Egyptian tree was a mulberry, 3 although he admitted that the " apple" which
grew on the trunk was nearest to a fig in size and appearance and that the
tree was very close to the Cyprian fig tree of Crete. 4
Aulus Cornelius Celsus, born in 25 B. C., distinguished definitely between
the two similar names. His work on medicines stated that practitioners
put sycamine tears ( gum) on the brow of an insane patient to lull him to
slumber, but that the mulberry tree, which the Greeks called sycamine, had
no tears. Therefore what were referred to were the tears of a tree which
grew in Egypt and there was called sycomore.
The allocation of the sycomore to Ficus is seen in Pliny's natural history,
written about 65 A. D. The specific name cited is aegyptia and the author
remarks that a similar one is called Cypria ficus in Crete.
With Pliny's text the classical period in the history of F. sycomorus
ended. With the exception of Dioscoridcs, few other Greek or Roman
writers are mentioned in references. Even in the Middle Ages, there arc
scarcely any allusions to the sycomore.
However, about the middle of the 16th century Maltioli brought this
species to the attention of lay as well as scientific readers in his illustrated
commentaries on Dioscorides' De materia medico, which had been written
in the first century A. D.
Mattioli's works were published first in 1554 and were reissued for many
years in Italian, French, German, and Bohemian, as well as in Latin. The
name cited in the first ( Latin) edition for the Egyptian sycomore was
Sycomorus. This application of the Latin form of the Greek vernacular
name has caused Dioscorides to be considered its author. Ficus cypria was
- Although these words generally appear in this form, in the original Greek the
vowel represented in the first syllable is equivalent to the letter i< rather than y. Thus
the Greek words actually were spelled ( so far as the two alphabets can be made 1o
coincide), sukaminos and sukos. When these words are carried over into Latin, the
u becomes y and the k becomes c; hence we get Ficus sycomorus and sycomore in
English.
s It is possible that this ancient mistake in identification, coupled witli the occur­rence
of the a in the second syllable of the Greek sykaminos, for mulberry, in com­bination
with morus, the Latin word for the mulberry tree, may have led to the com­mon
error of using an a in place of an o in the second syllable oE the word sycomore.
The correction of the last two syllables of the word may have begun in Strabo's
geography. There the author, who had visited Egypt between 25 and 20 B. C., told
oE the tree called sykaminos which produced the fruit sykomoron— in English, a mul­berry
tree which bore fig- mulberries.
4 In an earlier section of his book, Theophrastus had mentioned Ficus aegyptia in
connection with Morns aegyptia; but the former tree has been identified as Ceratonia
siliqua, the carob or algarroba.
258
The early notion that there were two different \ inds of sycomore is depicted in this
illustration from the Kreutterbuch of 1586, which is the Camerarius edition of the com'
mentaries on Dioscorides by Mattioli ( or Matthioli). The plant at the left ( 1) is the
one \ nown in Egypt; that at the right ( 2), " Ficus cypria," the tree of the islands; the
leaf ( Z) is supposed to represent the type that is common to both forms, having a
blade from two to six inches long and almost as wide, the upper surface generally smooth,
the lower surface sometimes downy in its early stages. The veining, however, as in all
illustrations in this period, is incorrectly drawn. The principal ueins are connected by
almost straight ueinlets, as can be seen in the photograph on the opposite page. Modifi'
cations of this woodcut appeared in many other volumes of the period.
259
Fruiting branch of Ficus sycomorus photographed at Miami, Florida, by the Bureau
of Plant Industry, United States Department of Agriculture.
260
declared to differ from Sycomorus in the production of figs from leafless
twigs instead of directly from trunk and branches. A woodcut of Syco­morus
showed serrate leaves, but this mistake was remedied by the time
of the Italian edition of 1559. This edition and later ones used vernacular
names such as Sicomoro, Acgyptischer Feigenbaum, Maulbeerfeigeu, etc.,
thus acknowledging that the sycomore was a fig- tree. As time went on
more locations were added to Mattioli's first statement of distribution, and
also some popular information and a picture of F. cypria.
Late 16th century editions of Mattioli's commentaries and of the works
of such writers as d'Alechamps and John Gerard owed something to the
travel writers of the day, who gave evidence in their books that they had
at least seen the plants which they mentioned.
Pierre Belon ( usually cited as Bellonius), in a French text ( 1553) had
spoken of sycomores cultivated in a garden at Cairo, and there called.
Ficus pharaonis. This book had been made accessible to the scientific
world by Clusius ( Charles de l'Ecluse), who in 1605 edited it in a Latin
translation.
Lconhart Rauwolf ( 1582) wrote his personal description of a journey to
Africa and neighboring countries, which is referred to as Iter. In his vivid
and somewhat archaic German he described " Sycomori" as seen in Tripoli,
and also another kind of " Sycomori" of which many grew in Cyprus. The
first were called " Aegyptische" or " Pharaonische," and the second, " Cypri-otischc."
They were " wilde Feugenbaume," and were called Mumeitz by
Moors and Arabs. Rauwolf also cited Biblical references. Some of his
material was translated in 1693 from " high Dutch" into English by John
Ray, who included it in " A collection of curious travels and voyages."
Prospero Alpino in 1592 stated that the sycomore was called Giumez
in Egypt. He added the legend about the Holy Family, and an illustration.
The names quoted in the five preceding paragraphs formed part of
the basis of an orgy of name- making which began before the 17th century
and went on until 1753. The perpetrators almost all were systematists, who
apparently were unfamiliar with the living sycomore and cared little for
anything except its nomenclature. They sometimes quoted long extracts
from classic writers, and they always worked over one another's more
recent material, and borrowed woodcuts, even the incorrect one with the
serrate leaves. Although they realized that at the most two species were
involved, they delighted in ringing in all possible changes on the words
Sycomorus, Morus, Ficus, Giumez, Mumeitz, and others, helped by mis­spelling
and variations in word- endings. If a Latin phrase sounded like
a name they pounced upon it for their collection. This period therefore
added little to the general information concerning the sycomore, but merely
contributed many confusing names.
Even Linnaeus, in 1749, formed the title Ficus foliis cordatis rcpaiidis,
261
The huge buttressed trun\ of a tree of Ficus sycomorus as it grows in Florida. Clusters
of small figs can be seen hanging from the heavy branches. Photograph by Bureau of
Plant Industry, V. S. D. A.
262
fructu sessili. It was not until 1753, when he published his epoch- making
" Species Plantarum," that the name Ficus sycomorus was finally estab­lished
to designate the ancient sycomore fig in all its forms.
REFERENCES TO FICUS SYCOMORUS
In the order of their citation in the text by Mary F. Barrett
Linnaeus, Carolus. Species plantarum, ed. 1, 1059. 1753.
Bodaeus a Stapel et al., ed. Theophrastus, De historia plantarum, 67; 285- 292; 291
( Must). 1644.
Jones, Horace L., ed. Strabo, Geographia 8: 148- 149. 1932.
Spencer. W. G., ed. Celsus, De medicina 1: 296- 297, 2: 20- 21. 1935.
Caius Plinius Secundus, Naturalis historiae, book 13, chap. 7; book 23, chap. 7.
About 65 A. D.
Mattioli, Pietro Andrea. Commentarii ( on works of Dioscorides) 150. 1554.
d'Alechamps, Jacques. Historia generalis plantarum 1: 340- 342 ( Must.). 2: app. 21
( Must.). 1587.
Gerard, John. The herball or generall historie of plantes 1326- 1327. ( Must.). 1597.
Rauwolf, Leonhart. Aigentliche Beschreibung'der Raiz . . . 287. 1582.
Ray, John. Collection of curious travels and voyages, part 1. 50- 51. 1693. ( Trans­lation
of part of Rauwolf's text.)
Alpino, Prospero. De plantis aegypti 8- 9 ( Must, on back of p. 9). 1592.
Linnaeus, Carolus. Amoenitates academicae 1: 26- 27. 1749.
Bellonius, Petrus. Observationes III ( Must. 109). Second edition, translated from
the French by Clusius. 1605.
How the American Sycamore
Acquired Its Name
By H. W. Rickett
WE in the United States call one of platanus, which resembles a sycomore in
our familiar trees the " sycamore" its dense foliage and grateful shade, is to
because our forefathers believed in this day called " sycamore" in England,
miracles. The change in spelling is not to be won-
It is this way: The medieval church dei\ ed **, for spelling was not fixed in
forbade classical drama but gradually sub- ear.' y England. Books were few and
stitiited for it entertainments of a enters had to use their ingenuity,
stronger Christian flavor and moral value. Chaucer spelled it sygamour." Perhaps,
These were the " mysteries" and " miracle as MJSS Barrett * and others have sug-plays"
which depicted the life and martyr- gested> t
th, e Gre* k s » tiamm° s has m-dom
of Jesus and of the Saints. fluenccd the spelling. Possibly our own
, IM _ . , , sycamore ( Platamts occidentaits) was so
When Zacchaeus, in these miracle plays, n a m e d s i m p l y because of the resemblance
had to climb into a tree to see Jesus over of i t s mapie- shaped leaves to those of the
the crowd, he used a maple in default or a English sycamore
sycomore ( which does not grow wild in -
Europe). This maple, Acer psendo- * See footnote 3 on page 257.
263
Fine Quality ^ Plants Exhibited
cAt Chrysanthemum Show
Annual Exhibit and Program Bring
Nearly 34,000 to Garden
A " QUALITY SHOW" was the characterization given by numerous
visitors to the annual exhibit staged at the New York Botanical
Garden Oct. 24- 26 by the National Chrysanthemum Society.
Fourth in the annals of the organization, this was the third in succession
in which the Garden has co- operated by providing space and facilities
and presenting a program the afternoon of the opening. The three- day
event included, besides the competitive exhibits and the outdoor chrysan­themum
displays, the christening of a new variety, a program on chry­santhemum
culture in the lecture hall, an exhibit on chrysanthemum pests
and diseases and one on the literature of the chrysanthemum, a children's
competition, and a tea for members.
Although most chrysanthemums in the region of New York were late in
flowering this year, the Garden's outdoor borders of hardy varieties
opened up well in time for the show, with promise of even fuller bloom for
the following week- end. A border of seedlings contributed by growers
attracted attention along the path between the Museum Building and
Range I.
Most of the chrysanthemums on display in the Museum Building had been
grown outdoors, the majority of them by amateurs with limited yard space,
in which they have carried on their own gardening work unaided.
The informal chrysanthemum garden with which the Mamaroneck. Garden Club won
the tricolor and the ScOtt trophy for the third successive year.
264
John Gambling ( left) receiving from
E. L. Bertram a bouquet of the new De
Petris chrysanthemum being named for
him.
Principal Exhibits
The main floor of the Museum was an
indoor garden glowing with the warm
colors of chrj'santhemums— copper and
bronze and rich maroon, gleaming yellow,
apricot, rose- purple and pink, offset by
purest white, with evergreen backgrounds.
Partially encircling the rotunda were
three chrysanthemum plantings set up by
two commercial planters, Fred Stuber of
Yonkers and Golf & Lawn Co. of Rose-dale,
and the Mamaroneck Garden Club,
which for the third time won the Scott
trophy for the most artistically arranged
planting with fine quality flowers. In the
fourth space in the rotunda were two im­mense
potted plants of the white variety
" Blanche Pointevine," which was intro­duced
into this country just before the
war by Herbert Woodger of Westchester
County, and disseminated under the name
" England." For this display the New
York Botanical Garden was awarded a
cultural certificate. Smaller specimens
of the same variety banked the balustrade
of the stairs. Other large exhibits on
the main floor were contributed by Bob­bink
& Atkins of Rutherford, N. J., and
Yoder Brothers of Barberton, Ohio. Mrs.
J. Kirchhof of Tenafly, N. J., showed
chrysanthemums in a natural garden, and
won second prize. Mrs. Spenser H. Cap-real
of Valhalla, N. Y., displayed cut
flowers.
Down the right wing of the building
were the exhibits of specimen blooms,
wilh a landscape planting at the far end
l, ut up by Dr. and Mrs. E. L. Scott,
who were awarded the third prize. The
left wing was occupied with the flower
arrangements, and these, like the show-as
a whole, were regarded as of excep­tional
quality. Arrangements for use on
a Thanksgiving buffet, in the living room,
as a table centerpiece, on a guest's break­fast
tray, on the kitchen window- sill, in
the game room, and in other parts of the
house carried out the theme of " Chry­santhemums
in the Home." By invita­tion
there were also eight shadow box ar­rangements
shown and four Thanksgiv­ing
tables set with chrysanthemums for
decoration.
Tricolor awards at the show went to
Mrs. John W. Roberts of Mamaroneck,
N. Y., who won cultural sweepstakes and
the ribbon for her collection of cut
flowers staged on fifteen square feet;
Mrs. H. C.^ Nye of White Plains, N. Y.,
for her collection of hardy garden ' mums;
Marie T. Leary of Greenwich, Conn., for
her collection of sprays of five types of
' mums, the most unusual being " Rose
One of the plants of the white chrysan' ,
themum " Blanche Pointevine" which won
a cultural certificate for the New Tor\
Botanical Garden.
265
Madder" disbudded; and Mrs. Blanche
Kullgren of Palisades Park, N. J., for a
large single " Melba." In the artistic
section, the tricolor was given to Mrs.
Richard Nathan, New Rochelle, N. Y.,
for her arrangement of chrysanthemums
on a piece of driftwood in combination
with sprays of yellow fruit. In winning
the tricolor and the] Scott trophy for the
third year in succession, the Garden Club
of Mamaroneck is now permanent owner
of the silver cup. The club's exhibit each
year was built by Mrs. John C. Germann.
Outstanding among the specimen
blooms exhibited were a group of large-flowered
varieties flown from California
by Lucius R. Bates of Sacramento and
an exhibit from Yoder Brothers of
Barberton, Ohio, which included a pure
white unnamed hardy seedling which ex­cited
comment and inquiry from com­mercial
growers, amateur gardeners, and
the public alike. Yoder Brothers were
given a certificate of culture.
Visitors from Afar
Some of those who attended the show,
like some of the flowers exhibited, came
from long distances especially for the
occasion. Several groups from the Far
West had planned their vacations to coin­cide
with this Chrysanthemum Show, and
many others made special week- end trips
to New York to attend the affair. In ad­dition
to the hundreds present at the
opening and the thousands more who
crowded into the Museum Building on
Saturday, 14,000 people visited the indoor
displays in the Museum on Sunday, Oct.
26. Many thousands more enjoyed only
the border plantings outdoors. In all,
33,855 persons were clocked through the
gates during the three days.
Opening Ceremony and Program
John Gambling, who conducts the radio
program " Rambling with Gambling" on
WOR, was honored in a brief ceremony
for the opening of the Chrysanthemum
Show at 2 p. m. Friday, by having a new
chrysanthemum named for him. Asked
to designate his choice from the seedlings
exhibited by Vincent de Petris of Grosse
Pointe, Mich., he chose a red- and- gold
pompon. Presentation of the new flower
to Mr. Gambling was made by Ernest L.
Bertram of Lancaster, Pa., President of
the Society. In his youth, Mr. Gambling
A prize- winning flower arrangement
with chrysanthemums, designed for a
Than\ sgiving buffet and executed by Mrs.
L. K. Dodson of Larchmont.
had been a commercial grower of chry­santhemums,
and he has always been a
gardening enthusiast.
Alex Laurie, Professor of Floriculture
at Ohio State University, gave the prin­cipal
address at the program which began
at 3 p. m. in the lecture hall. Speaking
on " Chrysanthemums for the Millions."
he described a simple method of propa­gation,
gave brief cultural directions, and
presented his opinion of the organic
gardening movement and of the craze for
introducing earthworms into the garden
soil.
At the symposium on outdoor culture
of large- flowered cho'santhemum varie­ties,
which followed, James S. Jack, the
chairman, was assisted on the stage by
Dr. E. L. Scott, founder and past presi­dent
of the Chrysanthemum Society;
Mrs. Scott, co- editor of the society's bul­letin;
Mrs. John W. Roberts of Mamaro­neck
; Ernest L. Bertram; Lester W.
Kinne. Secretary- Treasurer of the Chry-
266
santhemum Society; F. F. Rockwell,
Editor- in- Chief of Home Garden maga­zine;
and T. H. Everett.
Tea was served in the Members' Room
for members of the two co- operating
organizations when the symposium was
finished.
Diseases, Pests, and Literature in Exhibits
At the entrance to the Lecture Hall,
Dr. P. P. Pirone installed an exhibit on
diseases and insect pests of chrysanthe­mums,
and between 2 and 3 p. m. on both
Friday and Saturday, he was present to
answer individual questions. Mimeo­graphed
leaflets were prepared for free
distribution, covering chrysanthemum
diseases and pests in general and their
control, a formula for an all- purpose
spray, and specific information on nema­todes
and their control.
During the first two days of the show,
there was an extensive display of chry­santhemum
literature, European, Asiatic,
and American, in the Garden's library.
Publications shown included books, pam­phlets,
periodicals, and illustrations dat­ing
from 1796 to the current year.
Event for Children
An innovation this year was a chil­dren's
exhibit, staged on Saturday morn­ing
in the basement of the Museum Build­ing.
Planned in co- operation with the
Nature Education department of the New
York City Board of Education, it con­sisted
of flower arrangements by 100 New
York school children. The Garden pro­vided
cut chrysanthemums and other
flowers, and awarded prizes to Rachel
Anne Mehr, Barbara Salant, Theodore
Baker and Joyce Guedalia in the inter­mediate
class and to Betty Joergensen,
Judy Orseck, Virginia Kowalk, and Oliver
Roberts in the junior class.
In conjunction with this, posters were
submitted from two schools, and for these
the Garden gave prizes of potted bulbs.
Carmen Basile and Frank Vernocchia of
S FOR FLOWER GROWERS
TO ENJOY THE WINTER
GROW COLORFUL FLOWERS INDOORS
AMARYLLIS HYBRIDS. MagniBcent blossoms. White, with
markings of red, rose and crimson, as well as deep, rich colors
of scarlet, crimson and bright red. Giant California Hybrids,
85(; each, 3 for $ 2.25, 12 for S8.50. Mammoth Royal Dutch
Hybrids at 32.25 and $ 2.50 each.
. PLAN YOUR 1948 GARDEN FROM THE FINEST BOOK- CATAIOG
WAYSIDE GARDENS EVER PUBLISHED
There'll be many hours of real enjoyment in Wayside's 1948 reference book
of almost 200 pages. Hundreds of flowers illustrated in natural colors. Many
new varieties. Complete cultural instructions. Includes new roses, bulbs, plants
and flowering shrubs. Ready in December, Get your order in now. To be sure
you get your copy, it is necessary that you enclose with your request 50tf,
coin or stamps, lo cover postage and handling costs.
Waxpicle JE ( qa. rd<? n. r
51 Mentor Ave., Mentor, Ohio
267
Paul Hoffman Junior High were first and
second prize winners. Arthur Jacobs and
David Lock of Junior High 117 received
honorable mention.
At the conclusion of the chrysanthemum
show, the flowers from the principal ex­hibits
were delivered to two veterans'
hospitals.
For the National Chrysanthemum So­ciety,
Mrs. H. E. Kincaid of Mamaroneck
was general chairman. Working with
her on various committees were Mrs.
Loren R. Dodson, Mrs. Kenneth L. Stelle,
Dr. and Mrs. E. L. Scott, Carl Toepler,
Mrs. Clifford B. Curtis, James Stuart,
Paul F. Frese, Mrs. Thomas Farmer,
James S. Jack, and Fred Shumaker.
Notes, News, and Comment
Board of Managers. Charles B. Hard­ing
has been named a vice- president of
tiie New York Botanical Garden to
succeed Henry de Forest Baldwin, who
died May 18, 1947. Mr. Harding was
made a member of the Board of Man­agers
on June 10, 1946. Mr. Harding is
senior partner in the banking firm of
Smith, Barney & Co.
Sherman Baldwin, of the firm of Lord.
Day and Lord, was elected to the Board
of Managers in the class of 1949 to
succeed his father, Henry de Forest
Baldwin. He has been a member of the
Corporation of the New York Botani­cal
Garden since 1929.
Oakleigh L. Thorne was made a mem­ber
of the Board of Managers in the
class of 1950 at the meeting held Oct.
15, 1947.
Courses of Study. The largest number
of students since before the war is en­rolled
in the classes being offered at the
New York Botanical Garden this fall.
There is a record enrollment in Nature
Study for Teachers, with 80 students, and
in Field Botany, with 36. The class in
Fundamentals of Gardening, which is the
opening term in the Two- Year Course in
Practical Gardening, has 65 students.
Systematic Botany is being taught to 37,
including 13 employees of the Garden,
while the term in General Botany has an
enrollment of 29, of which 10 are em­ployees.
These two classes are part of the
Two- Year Science Course for Gardeners.
Grape Breeding. During September Dr.
A. B. Stout spent a week at the New
York State Agricultural Experiment Sta­tion
at Geneva in his research with breed­ing
seedless grapes. Seven seedlings which
have seedless berries were in fruit for
the first time, bringing the total of such
seedlings to 314. A trip was also made
to Fredonia, near Lake Erie, for an in­spection
of test plantings of selections
and of the newly named Interlaken Seed­less
grape, which was described in the
Journal of the New York Botanical
Garden for April 1947.
Gasteromycetes. A scholarship has been
granted to Dr. S. M. Zeller, Plant Path­ologist
at the Experiment Station at
Oregon State College in Corvallis, to
w; ork on the Gasteromycetes for North
America Flora. Dr. Zeller arrived in
New York with Mrs. Zeller Oct. 20, and
plans to work at the Garden until Feb. 1.
Visitors. Dr. W. J. Lutjeharms, Pro­fessor
of Botany in University College,
Bloemfontein, Orange Free State, was a
visitor at the New York Botanical Garden
Oct. 15. He is spending six months in
Bobbink & Atkins
N U R S E R Y M E N
AND
P L A N T S M E N
Most of the unusual Roses, Trees and
Shrubs not obtainable elsewhere will
be found growing in this great
Establishment . . . one unique in the
Annals of American Horticulture.
Visitors Always ' Welcome
Catalogue Upon Request
Bobbink & Atkins
Paterson Ave., E. Rutherford, N. J.
268
the United States, working on soil fungi
at New Brunswick with Dr. Selman A.
Wak sman.
Dr. Antonio P. L. Digilio, head of the
cryptogamic work at Tucuman Univer­sity,
and associated with the Instituto
Lilloa, at Tucuman, Argentina, visited the
Garden Oct. 2. He is spending a year at
Harvard University,
R. Kent Beattie of Rockville, Md., who
was one of the first scientists to work
on the Dutch elm disease when it was
discovered in America, came lo the
Garden Oct. 2. The following day, J. C.
Van Balen, Director of Parks of Johan­nesburg,
South Africa, was a visitor.
Henry Teuscher, Curator of the Mon­treal
Botanical Garden, stopped at the
Garden Sept. 30 on his return from the
National Arborists' Association meeting
in San Francisco. Another recent visitor
was Henry Fleming of the New York
Zoological Society.
Amazon Mission. Dr. Bassett Maguire
was one of two United States delegates
to the International Scientific Commis­sion
which met at Belem- do- Para Brazil,
Aug. 12- 18. He was accompanied by Dr.
Remington Kellogg, Curator of Mam­malogy,
Smithsonian Institution. The
Commission was set up under the aus­pices
of Unesco in 1946 with Brazil,
Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Vene­zuela,
France, Great Britain, the Nether­lands
and the United States collaborating
on a plan for the development of the
. Amazon Basin.
Theater Benefit. Tickets for the per­formance
of " Antony and Cleopatra,"
starring Katherine Cornell, at the Martin
Beck theater Dec. 3 will be sold for the
benefit of the New York Botanical
Garden. Arrangements for the occasion
have been made by the Garden's Man­hattan
office.
Epimediums. Harold Epstein, author
of the article on " Rock Gardening in
Westchester" in the October Journal,
writes that the illustration used on page
227 shows varieties of two different
species of Epimedium. At the left is
E. macranthum var. niveum, while the
smaller flowers at the right are E.
yovngiamim var. nhcum.
Apply Horn Tree Paint
W a t e r R e s i s t i n g — A d h e s i v e — H e a l i ng
P o s s e s s i n g antiseptic and fungicidal prop­erties.
Protects e x p o s e d wood f r om rot- fungi
and insects until the wound can heal over
— stimulates callus growth. This d r e s s i ng
does not freeze.
A. €• Horn Co., Inc.
Division of Sun Chemical Corporation
43- 36 Tenth St., Long Island City 1, New York
THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN
Officers
JOSEPH R. SWAN, President
JOHN L. MERRILL, Vice- President CHARLES B. HARDING, Vice- President
ARTHUR M. ANDERSON, Treasurer HENRY DE LA MONTAGNE, Secretary
Elective Managers
SHERMAN BALDWIN MRS. ELON HUNTINGTON FREDERICK S. MOSELEY, JR.
WILLIAM FELTON BARRETT HOOKER FRANCIS E. POWELL, JR.
HOWARD BAYNE MRS. ALBERT D. LASKER MRS. HAROLD I. PRATT
EDWIN DE T. BECHTEL CLARENCE MCK. LEWIS WILLIAM J. ROBBINS
HENRY F. DU PONT E. D. MERRILL EDMUND W. SINNOTT
REV. ROBERT I. GANNON, ROBERT H. MONTGOMERY CHAUNCEY STILLMAN
S. J. OAKLEIGH L. THORNE
Ex- Officio Managers
WILLIAM O'DWYER. Mayor of the City of Nezv York
ANDREW G. CLAUSON, JR., President of the Board of Education
ROBERT MOSES, Park Commissioner
Appointive Managers
By the Torrey Botanical Club: F. J. SEAVER. By Columbia University:
MARSTON T. BOGERT, CHARLES W. BALLARD, MARCUS M. RHOADES,
SAM F. TRELEASE.
THE STAFF
WILLIAM J. ROBBINS, P H . D . , Sc. D.
H. A. GLEASON, P H . D .
HENRY DE LA MONTAGNE
FRED J. SEAVER, P H . D . , ScD.
A. B. STOUT, P H . D .
P. P. PIRONE, P H . D .
THOMAS H, EVERETT, N. D. HORT.
H. W. RICKETT, P H . D .
BASSETT MAGUIRE, P H . D.
DONALD PHILIP ROGERS, P H . D .
HAROLD N. MOLDENKE, P H . D .
W. H. CAMP, P H . D .
E. J. ALEXANDER, B. S.
RICHARD A. HOWARD, P H . D .
E. E. NAYLOR, P H . D.
F. W. KAVANAGH, P H . D .
ROBERT S. DE ROPP, P H . D . , D. I. C.
MARJORIE ANCHEL, P H . D.
ROSALIE WEIKERT
ILDA MCVEIGH, P H . D.
MARY STEBBINS, M. A.
ELIZABETH C. HALL, A. B., B. S.
CAROL H. WOODWARD, A. B.
G. L. WITTROCK, A. M.
OTTO DEGENER, M. S.
ELMER N. MITCHELL
JOHN HENDLEY BARNHART, A. M., M. D.
BERNARD O. DODGE, P H . D .
Director
Assistant Director and Curator
Assistant Director
Head Curator
Curator Emeritus
Plant Pathologist
Horticulturist
Bibliographer
Curator
Curator
Associate Curator
Associate Curator
Associate Curator
Assistant Curator
Associate Curator of Education
Associate Curator of Laboratories
Assistant Curator
Research Associate
Technical Assistant
Technical Assistant
Technical Assistant
Librarian
Editor of the Journal
Custodian of the Herbarium
Collaborator in Hawaiian Botany
Photographer
Bibliographer Emeritus
Plant Pathologist Emeritus
INEZ M. HARING Assistant Honorary Curator of Mosses
JOSEPH F. BURKE Honorary Curator of the Diatomaceae
B. A. KRUKOFF Honorary Curator of Economic Botany
ETHEL ANSON S. PECKHAM Honorary Curator, Iris and Narcissus Collections
A. C. PFANDER Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds
To reach the Botanical Garden, take the Independent Subway to Bedford Park Boulevard
station use the Bedford Park Boulevard exit and walk east. Or take the Third Avenue
Elevated to the Botanical Garden or the 200th Street station, the New York Central to the
Botanical Garden station, or the Webster Avenue surface car to Bedford Park Boulevard
THE CORPORATION OF THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN
The New York Botanical Garden was incorporated by a special act of the Legislature of
the State of New York in 1891. The Act of Incorporation provides, among other things, for
a self- perpetuating body of incorporators, who meet annually to elect members of the Board of
Managers. They also elect new members of their own body, the present roster of which is
given below.
The Advisory Council consists of 12 or more women who are elected by the Board. By
custom, they are also elected to the Corporation. Officers are: Mrs. Robert H. Fife, Chairman;
Mrs. Elon Huntington Hooker, First Vice- Chairman; Mrs. William A. Lockwood, Second Vice-
Chairman; Mrs. Nelson B. Williams, Recording Secretary; Mrs. Guthrie Shaw, Corresponding
Secretary; and Mrs. F. Leonard Kellogg, Treasurer.
Arthur M. Anderson
Mrs. Arthur M. Anderson
Mrs. George Arents, Jr.
George Arents, Jr.
E. C. Auchter
Dr. Raymond F. Bacon
Prof. L. H. Bailey
Stephen Baker
Henry de Forest Baldwin
Sherman Baldwin
Charles \ V. Ballard
Mrs. James Barnes
William Felton Barrett
Mrs. William Felton Barrett
Howard Bayne
Edwin De T. Bechtel
William B. Bell
Prof. Charles P. Bcrkey
Prof. Marston T. Bogert
Prof. William J. Bonisteel
Mrs. James Cox Brady
George P. Brett
Mrs. Richard de Wolfe Brixey
Leonard J. Buck
Mrs. Charles Burlingham
Dr. Nicholas M. Butler
Miss Mabel Choatc
Miss E. Mabel Clark
W. R. Coe
Mrs. Jerome W. Coombs
Mrs. Henry S. Fcnimore Cooper
Mrs. William Redmond Cross
Mrs. C. I. DeBevoise
Mrs. Thomas M. Debcvoise
Mrs. Sidney G. de Kay
Edward C. Delafield
Mrs. John Ross Dclafield
Julian F. Detmer
Mrs. Charles D. Dickey
Mrs. Charles Doscher
Mrs. Walter Douglas
Mrs. John W. Draper
Henry F. du Pont
Mrs. Moses W. Faitoute
William B. O. Field
Mrs. Robert H. Fife
Mrs. Reginald Fincke
Harry Harkness Flagler
Mrs. Mortimer J. Fox
Childs Frick
Rev. Robert I. Gannon, S. J.
Dr. H. A. Gleason
Mrs. Frederick A. Godley
Charles B. Harding
Mrs. William F. Hencken
Mrs. A. Barton Hepburn
Mrs. Elon H. Hooker
Mrs. Clement Houghton
Archer M. Huntington
Mrs. O'Donnell Iselin
Pierre Jay
Mrs. Walter Jennings
Mrs. Alfred G. Kay
Mrs. F. Leonard Kellogg
Mrs. Warren Kinney
Mrs. Lee Krauss
H. R. Kunhardt, Jr.
Mrs. Albert D. Lasker
Mrs. Barent Lefferts
Clarence McK. Lewis
Mrs. William A. Lockwood
Dr. D. T. MacDougal
Mrs. David Ives Mackie
Mrs. H. Edward Manville
Parker McCollcster
Miss Mildred McCormick
Louis E. McFadden
Mrs. John R. McGinley
Dr. E. D. Merrill
John L. Merrill
Roswcll Miller, Jr.
Mrs. Roswcll Miller, Jr.
Mrs. Roswcll Miller, Sr.
S. P. Miller
George M. Moffett
H. dc la Montagne
Col. Robert H. Montgomery
Mrs. Robert H. Montgomery
Barrington Moore
Mrs. William H. Moore
B. Y. Morrison
Frederick S. Moseley, Jr.
Mrs. Augustus G. Paine
Mrs. James R. Parsons
Rufus L. Patterson
Mrs. Wheeler H. Peckham
Mrs. George W. Perkins
Mrs. Hugh Peters
Howard Phipps
Rutherford Piatt
Francis E. Powell, Jr.
Mrs. Harold I. Pratt
Mrs. Rodney Procter
Mrs. Henry St. C. Putnam
Mrs. Grafton H. Pyne
Lady Ramsey
Stanley G. Ranger
Johnston L. Redmond
Prof. Marcus M. Rhoadea
Mrs. Junius A. Richards
Dr. William J. Robbins
Mrs. Melvin E. Sawin
John M. Schiff
Mrs. Henry F. Schwarz
Mrs. Arthur Hoyt Scott
Mrs. Arthur H. Scribner
Mrs. Townsend Scudder
Mrs. Samuel Seabury
Mrs. Guthrie Shaw
Prof. Edmund W. Sinnott
Mrs. Samuel Sloan
Edgar B. Stern
Chauncey Stillman
Nathan Straus
Mrs. Theron G. Strong
Mrs. Arthur H. Sulzberger
Joseph R. Swan
Mrs. Joseph R. Swan
Prof. Sam F. Trelease
Arthur S. Vernay
Mrs. Antonie P. Voislawsky
Manfred Wahl
Allen Wardwell
Nelson M. Wells
Alain C. White
Mrs. Nelson B. Williams
Mrs. Percy H. Williams
John C. Wister
Richardson Wright

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JOURNAL
OF
THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN
VOL. 48
No. 575
NOVEMBER
1 9 4 7
PACES
245- 268
JOURNAL OF THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN
CAROL H. WOODWARD, Editor
NOVEMBER EVENTS AT THE GARDEN
Members' Day
Nov. 5 at 3 p. m. in the Lecture Hall
The Present Status of the Dutch Elm Disease P. P. Pirone
Plant Pathologist
Free Saturday Programs
3 p. m. in the Lecture Hall
Nov. 8 Plants to Grow Inside of City Windows fean Hersey
Gardener'Writer
Nov. 15 Caribbean Stepping Stones R. A. Howard
Assistant Curator
Nov. 22 Trees in the Winter Landscape E. J. Alexander
Associate Curator
Nov. 29 Putting the Garden to Bed K. R. Fens\ a
Bartlett Tree Research Laboratories
Dec. 6 Plant Food from Coal and Magic of Coal
Two motion picture films with sound
Radio Programs
" Calling All Gardeners" every Saturday morning from 8: 30 to 8: 45, over WNYC,
830 on the dial.
Museum Exhibits
British Gardens Through the Ages
150 fine photographs on view through the courtesy of " My Garden" magazine of
London, showing historical, formal, royal, rock and water gardens, lawns and
borders, landscape and wild gardens, trees, and gardens of today. The exhibit
will continue through November.
Conservatory Displays
Seasonal flower displays will be resumed with an exhibit of chrysanthemums in the
Conservatory commencing Nov. 1.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
NOVEMBER 1947
HEART OF A THISTLE with pollen ready to be blown from each
individual floret Cover photograph by Samuel S. Gottscho
Do You COLLECT POLLEN? G. Erdtman 245
T H E SYCOMORE FIG OF ANCIENT LINEAGE Mary F. Barrett 254
FINE QUALITY PLANTS EXHIBITED AT CHRYSANTHEMUM SHOW 263
NOTES, NEWS, AND COMMENT 267
The Journal is published monthly by The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx Park, New York 58,
N. Y. Printed in U. S. A. Entered as Second Class Matter, January 28, 1936, at the Post Office
at New York, N. Y., under the Act of August 24, 1912. Annual subscription $ 1.50. Single copies
15 cents.
JOURNAL
of
THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN
VOL. 48 NOVEMBER 1947 No. 575
( Do You ( Jollect " Pollen?
The Reasons Why Others Gather and Study Jt
Given in a Survey of the Newly Named
Science of Palynology
By G. Erdtman
COLLECTING POLLEN— of what possible use can that be? It
sounds like a rather odd way of wasting time. And in any event,
how does one collect pollen and why?
Botanically, pollen is highly interesting and significant. Pollens of many
plants are widespread in the air, and are also found deep in the soil and
in the beds of the oceans, telling the story of plant life through millions of
years. Surveys of pollen in the atmosphere are made by many ingenious
methods, including trapping the tiny grains on greased plates or by means
of filters through which air is sucked by vacuum. Airplanes and power­ful
borers are employed in the search for pollen above and below the sur­face
of the earth. The study of pollen grains is a fascinating one, and
has made valuable contributions toward the solving of problems in archae­ology,
geology, medicine, and other sciences.
A new term PALYNOLOGY ( research into pollen grains and spores), has
been coined from the Greek to cover this new field of scientific activity. A
palynologist must be ready to answer almost any question relating to pol­lens
and spores, whether the question is put by a plant systematise a peat
geologist, a doctor, a meteorologist, or a member of the exclusive guild of
palaeomelitologists, looking for pollen in ancient honeys from Egyptian
tombs or in the dry remains of mead which may occur in old drinking
horns. Some of the different aspects of palynological studies are described
briefly below.
* * *
The teeming field of study known as pollen statistics for pollen analysis)
belongs logically to the sphere of palynology. A prospective pollen statis-
245
t
th, e Gre* k s » tiamm° s has m-dom
of Jesus and of the Saints. fluenccd the spelling. Possibly our own
, IM _ . , , sycamore ( Platamts occidentaits) was so
When Zacchaeus, in these miracle plays, n a m e d s i m p l y because of the resemblance
had to climb into a tree to see Jesus over of i t s mapie- shaped leaves to those of the
the crowd, he used a maple in default or a English sycamore
sycomore ( which does not grow wild in -
Europe). This maple, Acer psendo- * See footnote 3 on page 257.
263
Fine Quality ^ Plants Exhibited
cAt Chrysanthemum Show
Annual Exhibit and Program Bring
Nearly 34,000 to Garden
A " QUALITY SHOW" was the characterization given by numerous
visitors to the annual exhibit staged at the New York Botanical
Garden Oct. 24- 26 by the National Chrysanthemum Society.
Fourth in the annals of the organization, this was the third in succession
in which the Garden has co- operated by providing space and facilities
and presenting a program the afternoon of the opening. The three- day
event included, besides the competitive exhibits and the outdoor chrysan­themum
displays, the christening of a new variety, a program on chry­santhemum
culture in the lecture hall, an exhibit on chrysanthemum pests
and diseases and one on the literature of the chrysanthemum, a children's
competition, and a tea for members.
Although most chrysanthemums in the region of New York were late in
flowering this year, the Garden's outdoor borders of hardy varieties
opened up well in time for the show, with promise of even fuller bloom for
the following week- end. A border of seedlings contributed by growers
attracted attention along the path between the Museum Building and
Range I.
Most of the chrysanthemums on display in the Museum Building had been
grown outdoors, the majority of them by amateurs with limited yard space,
in which they have carried on their own gardening work unaided.
The informal chrysanthemum garden with which the Mamaroneck. Garden Club won
the tricolor and the ScOtt trophy for the third successive year.
264
John Gambling ( left) receiving from
E. L. Bertram a bouquet of the new De
Petris chrysanthemum being named for
him.
Principal Exhibits
The main floor of the Museum was an
indoor garden glowing with the warm
colors of chrj'santhemums— copper and
bronze and rich maroon, gleaming yellow,
apricot, rose- purple and pink, offset by
purest white, with evergreen backgrounds.
Partially encircling the rotunda were
three chrysanthemum plantings set up by
two commercial planters, Fred Stuber of
Yonkers and Golf & Lawn Co. of Rose-dale,
and the Mamaroneck Garden Club,
which for the third time won the Scott
trophy for the most artistically arranged
planting with fine quality flowers. In the
fourth space in the rotunda were two im­mense
potted plants of the white variety
" Blanche Pointevine," which was intro­duced
into this country just before the
war by Herbert Woodger of Westchester
County, and disseminated under the name
" England." For this display the New
York Botanical Garden was awarded a
cultural certificate. Smaller specimens
of the same variety banked the balustrade
of the stairs. Other large exhibits on
the main floor were contributed by Bob­bink
& Atkins of Rutherford, N. J., and
Yoder Brothers of Barberton, Ohio. Mrs.
J. Kirchhof of Tenafly, N. J., showed
chrysanthemums in a natural garden, and
won second prize. Mrs. Spenser H. Cap-real
of Valhalla, N. Y., displayed cut
flowers.
Down the right wing of the building
were the exhibits of specimen blooms,
wilh a landscape planting at the far end
l, ut up by Dr. and Mrs. E. L. Scott,
who were awarded the third prize. The
left wing was occupied with the flower
arrangements, and these, like the show-as
a whole, were regarded as of excep­tional
quality. Arrangements for use on
a Thanksgiving buffet, in the living room,
as a table centerpiece, on a guest's break­fast
tray, on the kitchen window- sill, in
the game room, and in other parts of the
house carried out the theme of " Chry­santhemums
in the Home." By invita­tion
there were also eight shadow box ar­rangements
shown and four Thanksgiv­ing
tables set with chrysanthemums for
decoration.
Tricolor awards at the show went to
Mrs. John W. Roberts of Mamaroneck,
N. Y., who won cultural sweepstakes and
the ribbon for her collection of cut
flowers staged on fifteen square feet;
Mrs. H. C.^ Nye of White Plains, N. Y.,
for her collection of hardy garden ' mums;
Marie T. Leary of Greenwich, Conn., for
her collection of sprays of five types of
' mums, the most unusual being " Rose
One of the plants of the white chrysan' ,
themum " Blanche Pointevine" which won
a cultural certificate for the New Tor\
Botanical Garden.
265
Madder" disbudded; and Mrs. Blanche
Kullgren of Palisades Park, N. J., for a
large single " Melba." In the artistic
section, the tricolor was given to Mrs.
Richard Nathan, New Rochelle, N. Y.,
for her arrangement of chrysanthemums
on a piece of driftwood in combination
with sprays of yellow fruit. In winning
the tricolor and the] Scott trophy for the
third year in succession, the Garden Club
of Mamaroneck is now permanent owner
of the silver cup. The club's exhibit each
year was built by Mrs. John C. Germann.
Outstanding among the specimen
blooms exhibited were a group of large-flowered
varieties flown from California
by Lucius R. Bates of Sacramento and
an exhibit from Yoder Brothers of
Barberton, Ohio, which included a pure
white unnamed hardy seedling which ex­cited
comment and inquiry from com­mercial
growers, amateur gardeners, and
the public alike. Yoder Brothers were
given a certificate of culture.
Visitors from Afar
Some of those who attended the show,
like some of the flowers exhibited, came
from long distances especially for the
occasion. Several groups from the Far
West had planned their vacations to coin­cide
with this Chrysanthemum Show, and
many others made special week- end trips
to New York to attend the affair. In ad­dition
to the hundreds present at the
opening and the thousands more who
crowded into the Museum Building on
Saturday, 14,000 people visited the indoor
displays in the Museum on Sunday, Oct.
26. Many thousands more enjoyed only
the border plantings outdoors. In all,
33,855 persons were clocked through the
gates during the three days.
Opening Ceremony and Program
John Gambling, who conducts the radio
program " Rambling with Gambling" on
WOR, was honored in a brief ceremony
for the opening of the Chrysanthemum
Show at 2 p. m. Friday, by having a new
chrysanthemum named for him. Asked
to designate his choice from the seedlings
exhibited by Vincent de Petris of Grosse
Pointe, Mich., he chose a red- and- gold
pompon. Presentation of the new flower
to Mr. Gambling was made by Ernest L.
Bertram of Lancaster, Pa., President of
the Society. In his youth, Mr. Gambling
A prize- winning flower arrangement
with chrysanthemums, designed for a
Than\ sgiving buffet and executed by Mrs.
L. K. Dodson of Larchmont.
had been a commercial grower of chry­santhemums,
and he has always been a
gardening enthusiast.
Alex Laurie, Professor of Floriculture
at Ohio State University, gave the prin­cipal
address at the program which began
at 3 p. m. in the lecture hall. Speaking
on " Chrysanthemums for the Millions."
he described a simple method of propa­gation,
gave brief cultural directions, and
presented his opinion of the organic
gardening movement and of the craze for
introducing earthworms into the garden
soil.
At the symposium on outdoor culture
of large- flowered cho'santhemum varie­ties,
which followed, James S. Jack, the
chairman, was assisted on the stage by
Dr. E. L. Scott, founder and past presi­dent
of the Chrysanthemum Society;
Mrs. Scott, co- editor of the society's bul­letin;
Mrs. John W. Roberts of Mamaro­neck
; Ernest L. Bertram; Lester W.
Kinne. Secretary- Treasurer of the Chry-
266
santhemum Society; F. F. Rockwell,
Editor- in- Chief of Home Garden maga­zine;
and T. H. Everett.
Tea was served in the Members' Room
for members of the two co- operating
organizations when the symposium was
finished.
Diseases, Pests, and Literature in Exhibits
At the entrance to the Lecture Hall,
Dr. P. P. Pirone installed an exhibit on
diseases and insect pests of chrysanthe­mums,
and between 2 and 3 p. m. on both
Friday and Saturday, he was present to
answer individual questions. Mimeo­graphed
leaflets were prepared for free
distribution, covering chrysanthemum
diseases and pests in general and their
control, a formula for an all- purpose
spray, and specific information on nema­todes
and their control.
During the first two days of the show,
there was an extensive display of chry­santhemum
literature, European, Asiatic,
and American, in the Garden's library.
Publications shown included books, pam­phlets,
periodicals, and illustrations dat­ing
from 1796 to the current year.
Event for Children
An innovation this year was a chil­dren's
exhibit, staged on Saturday morn­ing
in the basement of the Museum Build­ing.
Planned in co- operation with the
Nature Education department of the New
York City Board of Education, it con­sisted
of flower arrangements by 100 New
York school children. The Garden pro­vided
cut chrysanthemums and other
flowers, and awarded prizes to Rachel
Anne Mehr, Barbara Salant, Theodore
Baker and Joyce Guedalia in the inter­mediate
class and to Betty Joergensen,
Judy Orseck, Virginia Kowalk, and Oliver
Roberts in the junior class.
In conjunction with this, posters were
submitted from two schools, and for these
the Garden gave prizes of potted bulbs.
Carmen Basile and Frank Vernocchia of
S FOR FLOWER GROWERS
TO ENJOY THE WINTER
GROW COLORFUL FLOWERS INDOORS
AMARYLLIS HYBRIDS. MagniBcent blossoms. White, with
markings of red, rose and crimson, as well as deep, rich colors
of scarlet, crimson and bright red. Giant California Hybrids,
85(; each, 3 for $ 2.25, 12 for S8.50. Mammoth Royal Dutch
Hybrids at 32.25 and $ 2.50 each.
. PLAN YOUR 1948 GARDEN FROM THE FINEST BOOK- CATAIOG
WAYSIDE GARDENS EVER PUBLISHED
There'll be many hours of real enjoyment in Wayside's 1948 reference book
of almost 200 pages. Hundreds of flowers illustrated in natural colors. Many
new varieties. Complete cultural instructions. Includes new roses, bulbs, plants
and flowering shrubs. Ready in December, Get your order in now. To be sure
you get your copy, it is necessary that you enclose with your request 50tf,
coin or stamps, lo cover postage and handling costs.
Waxpicle JE ( qa. rd n. r
51 Mentor Ave., Mentor, Ohio
267
Paul Hoffman Junior High were first and
second prize winners. Arthur Jacobs and
David Lock of Junior High 117 received
honorable mention.
At the conclusion of the chrysanthemum
show, the flowers from the principal ex­hibits
were delivered to two veterans'
hospitals.
For the National Chrysanthemum So­ciety,
Mrs. H. E. Kincaid of Mamaroneck
was general chairman. Working with
her on various committees were Mrs.
Loren R. Dodson, Mrs. Kenneth L. Stelle,
Dr. and Mrs. E. L. Scott, Carl Toepler,
Mrs. Clifford B. Curtis, James Stuart,
Paul F. Frese, Mrs. Thomas Farmer,
James S. Jack, and Fred Shumaker.
Notes, News, and Comment
Board of Managers. Charles B. Hard­ing
has been named a vice- president of
tiie New York Botanical Garden to
succeed Henry de Forest Baldwin, who
died May 18, 1947. Mr. Harding was
made a member of the Board of Man­agers
on June 10, 1946. Mr. Harding is
senior partner in the banking firm of
Smith, Barney & Co.
Sherman Baldwin, of the firm of Lord.
Day and Lord, was elected to the Board
of Managers in the class of 1949 to
succeed his father, Henry de Forest
Baldwin. He has been a member of the
Corporation of the New York Botani­cal
Garden since 1929.
Oakleigh L. Thorne was made a mem­ber
of the Board of Managers in the
class of 1950 at the meeting held Oct.
15, 1947.
Courses of Study. The largest number
of students since before the war is en­rolled
in the classes being offered at the
New York Botanical Garden this fall.
There is a record enrollment in Nature
Study for Teachers, with 80 students, and
in Field Botany, with 36. The class in
Fundamentals of Gardening, which is the
opening term in the Two- Year Course in
Practical Gardening, has 65 students.
Systematic Botany is being taught to 37,
including 13 employees of the Garden,
while the term in General Botany has an
enrollment of 29, of which 10 are em­ployees.
These two classes are part of the
Two- Year Science Course for Gardeners.
Grape Breeding. During September Dr.
A. B. Stout spent a week at the New
York State Agricultural Experiment Sta­tion
at Geneva in his research with breed­ing
seedless grapes. Seven seedlings which
have seedless berries were in fruit for
the first time, bringing the total of such
seedlings to 314. A trip was also made
to Fredonia, near Lake Erie, for an in­spection
of test plantings of selections
and of the newly named Interlaken Seed­less
grape, which was described in the
Journal of the New York Botanical
Garden for April 1947.
Gasteromycetes. A scholarship has been
granted to Dr. S. M. Zeller, Plant Path­ologist
at the Experiment Station at
Oregon State College in Corvallis, to
w; ork on the Gasteromycetes for North
America Flora. Dr. Zeller arrived in
New York with Mrs. Zeller Oct. 20, and
plans to work at the Garden until Feb. 1.
Visitors. Dr. W. J. Lutjeharms, Pro­fessor
of Botany in University College,
Bloemfontein, Orange Free State, was a
visitor at the New York Botanical Garden
Oct. 15. He is spending six months in
Bobbink & Atkins
N U R S E R Y M E N
AND
P L A N T S M E N
Most of the unusual Roses, Trees and
Shrubs not obtainable elsewhere will
be found growing in this great
Establishment . . . one unique in the
Annals of American Horticulture.
Visitors Always ' Welcome
Catalogue Upon Request
Bobbink & Atkins
Paterson Ave., E. Rutherford, N. J.
268
the United States, working on soil fungi
at New Brunswick with Dr. Selman A.
Wak sman.
Dr. Antonio P. L. Digilio, head of the
cryptogamic work at Tucuman Univer­sity,
and associated with the Instituto
Lilloa, at Tucuman, Argentina, visited the
Garden Oct. 2. He is spending a year at
Harvard University,
R. Kent Beattie of Rockville, Md., who
was one of the first scientists to work
on the Dutch elm disease when it was
discovered in America, came lo the
Garden Oct. 2. The following day, J. C.
Van Balen, Director of Parks of Johan­nesburg,
South Africa, was a visitor.
Henry Teuscher, Curator of the Mon­treal
Botanical Garden, stopped at the
Garden Sept. 30 on his return from the
National Arborists' Association meeting
in San Francisco. Another recent visitor
was Henry Fleming of the New York
Zoological Society.
Amazon Mission. Dr. Bassett Maguire
was one of two United States delegates
to the International Scientific Commis­sion
which met at Belem- do- Para Brazil,
Aug. 12- 18. He was accompanied by Dr.
Remington Kellogg, Curator of Mam­malogy,
Smithsonian Institution. The
Commission was set up under the aus­pices
of Unesco in 1946 with Brazil,
Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Vene­zuela,
France, Great Britain, the Nether­lands
and the United States collaborating
on a plan for the development of the
. Amazon Basin.
Theater Benefit. Tickets for the per­formance
of " Antony and Cleopatra,"
starring Katherine Cornell, at the Martin
Beck theater Dec. 3 will be sold for the
benefit of the New York Botanical
Garden. Arrangements for the occasion
have been made by the Garden's Man­hattan
office.
Epimediums. Harold Epstein, author
of the article on " Rock Gardening in
Westchester" in the October Journal,
writes that the illustration used on page
227 shows varieties of two different
species of Epimedium. At the left is
E. macranthum var. niveum, while the
smaller flowers at the right are E.
yovngiamim var. nhcum.
Apply Horn Tree Paint
W a t e r R e s i s t i n g — A d h e s i v e — H e a l i ng
P o s s e s s i n g antiseptic and fungicidal prop­erties.
Protects e x p o s e d wood f r om rot- fungi
and insects until the wound can heal over
— stimulates callus growth. This d r e s s i ng
does not freeze.
A. €• Horn Co., Inc.
Division of Sun Chemical Corporation
43- 36 Tenth St., Long Island City 1, New York
THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN
Officers
JOSEPH R. SWAN, President
JOHN L. MERRILL, Vice- President CHARLES B. HARDING, Vice- President
ARTHUR M. ANDERSON, Treasurer HENRY DE LA MONTAGNE, Secretary
Elective Managers
SHERMAN BALDWIN MRS. ELON HUNTINGTON FREDERICK S. MOSELEY, JR.
WILLIAM FELTON BARRETT HOOKER FRANCIS E. POWELL, JR.
HOWARD BAYNE MRS. ALBERT D. LASKER MRS. HAROLD I. PRATT
EDWIN DE T. BECHTEL CLARENCE MCK. LEWIS WILLIAM J. ROBBINS
HENRY F. DU PONT E. D. MERRILL EDMUND W. SINNOTT
REV. ROBERT I. GANNON, ROBERT H. MONTGOMERY CHAUNCEY STILLMAN
S. J. OAKLEIGH L. THORNE
Ex- Officio Managers
WILLIAM O'DWYER. Mayor of the City of Nezv York
ANDREW G. CLAUSON, JR., President of the Board of Education
ROBERT MOSES, Park Commissioner
Appointive Managers
By the Torrey Botanical Club: F. J. SEAVER. By Columbia University:
MARSTON T. BOGERT, CHARLES W. BALLARD, MARCUS M. RHOADES,
SAM F. TRELEASE.
THE STAFF
WILLIAM J. ROBBINS, P H . D . , Sc. D.
H. A. GLEASON, P H . D .
HENRY DE LA MONTAGNE
FRED J. SEAVER, P H . D . , ScD.
A. B. STOUT, P H . D .
P. P. PIRONE, P H . D .
THOMAS H, EVERETT, N. D. HORT.
H. W. RICKETT, P H . D .
BASSETT MAGUIRE, P H . D.
DONALD PHILIP ROGERS, P H . D .
HAROLD N. MOLDENKE, P H . D .
W. H. CAMP, P H . D .
E. J. ALEXANDER, B. S.
RICHARD A. HOWARD, P H . D .
E. E. NAYLOR, P H . D.
F. W. KAVANAGH, P H . D .
ROBERT S. DE ROPP, P H . D . , D. I. C.
MARJORIE ANCHEL, P H . D.
ROSALIE WEIKERT
ILDA MCVEIGH, P H . D.
MARY STEBBINS, M. A.
ELIZABETH C. HALL, A. B., B. S.
CAROL H. WOODWARD, A. B.
G. L. WITTROCK, A. M.
OTTO DEGENER, M. S.
ELMER N. MITCHELL
JOHN HENDLEY BARNHART, A. M., M. D.
BERNARD O. DODGE, P H . D .
Director
Assistant Director and Curator
Assistant Director
Head Curator
Curator Emeritus
Plant Pathologist
Horticulturist
Bibliographer
Curator
Curator
Associate Curator
Associate Curator
Associate Curator
Assistant Curator
Associate Curator of Education
Associate Curator of Laboratories
Assistant Curator
Research Associate
Technical Assistant
Technical Assistant
Technical Assistant
Librarian
Editor of the Journal
Custodian of the Herbarium
Collaborator in Hawaiian Botany
Photographer
Bibliographer Emeritus
Plant Pathologist Emeritus
INEZ M. HARING Assistant Honorary Curator of Mosses
JOSEPH F. BURKE Honorary Curator of the Diatomaceae
B. A. KRUKOFF Honorary Curator of Economic Botany
ETHEL ANSON S. PECKHAM Honorary Curator, Iris and Narcissus Collections
A. C. PFANDER Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds
To reach the Botanical Garden, take the Independent Subway to Bedford Park Boulevard
station use the Bedford Park Boulevard exit and walk east. Or take the Third Avenue
Elevated to the Botanical Garden or the 200th Street station, the New York Central to the
Botanical Garden station, or the Webster Avenue surface car to Bedford Park Boulevard
THE CORPORATION OF THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN
The New York Botanical Garden was incorporated by a special act of the Legislature of
the State of New York in 1891. The Act of Incorporation provides, among other things, for
a self- perpetuating body of incorporators, who meet annually to elect members of the Board of
Managers. They also elect new members of their own body, the present roster of which is
given below.
The Advisory Council consists of 12 or more women who are elected by the Board. By
custom, they are also elected to the Corporation. Officers are: Mrs. Robert H. Fife, Chairman;
Mrs. Elon Huntington Hooker, First Vice- Chairman; Mrs. William A. Lockwood, Second Vice-
Chairman; Mrs. Nelson B. Williams, Recording Secretary; Mrs. Guthrie Shaw, Corresponding
Secretary; and Mrs. F. Leonard Kellogg, Treasurer.
Arthur M. Anderson
Mrs. Arthur M. Anderson
Mrs. George Arents, Jr.
George Arents, Jr.
E. C. Auchter
Dr. Raymond F. Bacon
Prof. L. H. Bailey
Stephen Baker
Henry de Forest Baldwin
Sherman Baldwin
Charles \ V. Ballard
Mrs. James Barnes
William Felton Barrett
Mrs. William Felton Barrett
Howard Bayne
Edwin De T. Bechtel
William B. Bell
Prof. Charles P. Bcrkey
Prof. Marston T. Bogert
Prof. William J. Bonisteel
Mrs. James Cox Brady
George P. Brett
Mrs. Richard de Wolfe Brixey
Leonard J. Buck
Mrs. Charles Burlingham
Dr. Nicholas M. Butler
Miss Mabel Choatc
Miss E. Mabel Clark
W. R. Coe
Mrs. Jerome W. Coombs
Mrs. Henry S. Fcnimore Cooper
Mrs. William Redmond Cross
Mrs. C. I. DeBevoise
Mrs. Thomas M. Debcvoise
Mrs. Sidney G. de Kay
Edward C. Delafield
Mrs. John Ross Dclafield
Julian F. Detmer
Mrs. Charles D. Dickey
Mrs. Charles Doscher
Mrs. Walter Douglas
Mrs. John W. Draper
Henry F. du Pont
Mrs. Moses W. Faitoute
William B. O. Field
Mrs. Robert H. Fife
Mrs. Reginald Fincke
Harry Harkness Flagler
Mrs. Mortimer J. Fox
Childs Frick
Rev. Robert I. Gannon, S. J.
Dr. H. A. Gleason
Mrs. Frederick A. Godley
Charles B. Harding
Mrs. William F. Hencken
Mrs. A. Barton Hepburn
Mrs. Elon H. Hooker
Mrs. Clement Houghton
Archer M. Huntington
Mrs. O'Donnell Iselin
Pierre Jay
Mrs. Walter Jennings
Mrs. Alfred G. Kay
Mrs. F. Leonard Kellogg
Mrs. Warren Kinney
Mrs. Lee Krauss
H. R. Kunhardt, Jr.
Mrs. Albert D. Lasker
Mrs. Barent Lefferts
Clarence McK. Lewis
Mrs. William A. Lockwood
Dr. D. T. MacDougal
Mrs. David Ives Mackie
Mrs. H. Edward Manville
Parker McCollcster
Miss Mildred McCormick
Louis E. McFadden
Mrs. John R. McGinley
Dr. E. D. Merrill
John L. Merrill
Roswcll Miller, Jr.
Mrs. Roswcll Miller, Jr.
Mrs. Roswcll Miller, Sr.
S. P. Miller
George M. Moffett
H. dc la Montagne
Col. Robert H. Montgomery
Mrs. Robert H. Montgomery
Barrington Moore
Mrs. William H. Moore
B. Y. Morrison
Frederick S. Moseley, Jr.
Mrs. Augustus G. Paine
Mrs. James R. Parsons
Rufus L. Patterson
Mrs. Wheeler H. Peckham
Mrs. George W. Perkins
Mrs. Hugh Peters
Howard Phipps
Rutherford Piatt
Francis E. Powell, Jr.
Mrs. Harold I. Pratt
Mrs. Rodney Procter
Mrs. Henry St. C. Putnam
Mrs. Grafton H. Pyne
Lady Ramsey
Stanley G. Ranger
Johnston L. Redmond
Prof. Marcus M. Rhoadea
Mrs. Junius A. Richards
Dr. William J. Robbins
Mrs. Melvin E. Sawin
John M. Schiff
Mrs. Henry F. Schwarz
Mrs. Arthur Hoyt Scott
Mrs. Arthur H. Scribner
Mrs. Townsend Scudder
Mrs. Samuel Seabury
Mrs. Guthrie Shaw
Prof. Edmund W. Sinnott
Mrs. Samuel Sloan
Edgar B. Stern
Chauncey Stillman
Nathan Straus
Mrs. Theron G. Strong
Mrs. Arthur H. Sulzberger
Joseph R. Swan
Mrs. Joseph R. Swan
Prof. Sam F. Trelease
Arthur S. Vernay
Mrs. Antonie P. Voislawsky
Manfred Wahl
Allen Wardwell
Nelson M. Wells
Alain C. White
Mrs. Nelson B. Williams
Mrs. Percy H. Williams
John C. Wister
Richardson Wright